Educational Essentialism as a Theory

¶ … Educational Essentialism

Essentialism as a theory of education is largely dependent on the authority of the instructor, and the respect for authority and sense of duty held by the students in an essentialist setting (Siddiqui 2008). Accountability is also an important feature for both instructors and students in an essentialist setting, especially given the inherently progressive nature of learning material in an ongoing educational system that is rooted in essentialism (Siddiqui 2008; K12 2010). No essentialist educational system or program can be sustained if instructors and students are not held accountable for learning/teaching specific material at specific stages, as the progression would then be interrupted and further instruction would be at best useless and at worst highly confusing and detrimental to the educational process. What essentialism claims at its most basic is that there are basic pieces of information in certain essential fields of which instruction must take place in a progressive manner at specific stages, and this inherently requires authority and accountability (Nayak 2008).

Several social forces in the United States contributed to the rise of essentialism, but the term itself was popularized during the Great Depression by William Bagley in part as a reaction to the largely uneducated workforce that experienced such extreme unemployment during the period (Nayak 2008). At several points in American history, education has been seen by the public foundation of American society, and essentialism has been a major force in education in the country for much of its existence (Nayak 2008). It is largely form the United States that essentialism spread to the rest of the world (Nayak 2008; Siddiqui 2008).

There have also been global causes for the spread of essentialism, and the continued pressure on educators and officials in charge of instituting educational policies and systems in countries around the world. The launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 -- an event which marked the beginning of the space race and showed a significant Soviet lead -- renewed the vigor of essentialist practices and theories in the United States especially, but this event also helped to spur on the spread of essentialist practices in countries less involved with the Cold War (Nayak 2008). Cultural literacy programs are all essentialist when viewed as a set of basic theoretical trappings; as multicultural understanding has become a greater part of the educational process and system in many countries, essentialist programs have also become more widespread and more deeply engrained (K12 2010). Growing industrialization and development have also produced many basic educational systems, and essentialist practices are inherent to many of them (Siddiqui 2008).